An Akron boy, 16, and a Canton man, 23, were robbed of their shoes in separate incidents.
In both cases, the victims were meeting up with potential buyers in online sales. Asked if the two robberies are related, Lt. Rick Edwards, the Akron police spokesman, said he isn’t sure. He noted that the shoes were listed on different sale sites.
“There is a possibility, but we haven’t linked the two,” he said.
In the first incident, the teen met the potential buyer on Instagram and then agreed to meet him Friday at a business in the 1200 block of Independence Avenue near Chapel Hill. The buyer took off one of his shoes to try on the shoes and then grabbed both of the seller’s shoes and ran through the woods. The seller chased the buyer until he lost him, according to the police department’s report.
Two other men who were with the buyer-turned-robber followed the shoe seller into the woods. They put their hands in their pockets as if they had guns and told the seller to walk away. He left and called police.
Police described the robbers as black males, 16 or 17 years old. The first was 5 feet 6 inches, 170 to 180 pounds, and wore a gray hooded sweatshirt. The second was 5 foot 10 inches, 185 pounds, and wore a red-and-black, hooded sweatshirt and gray sweatpants. The third was 5 feet 9 inches, 170 pounds, and wore a white hooded sweatshirt and black sweatpants.
The other robbery occurred Monday.
The victim posted his Jordan Retro II shoes on “Offer Up” and drove to the 800 block of Dayton Street in North Akron about 3 p.m. to meet the buyer. The seller negotiated a price with the buyer, “Lucky,” and asked to try on the shoes. The buyer then pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the seller, according to the police report.
In fear for his safety and that of his girlfriend, the seller pulled out his own gun and fired two shots at the buyer. The buyer fled through the parking lot and over a fence toward Woodrow Court. The seller lost sight of him.
Police described the robber as a black male, age 17 to 21, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, 140 to 160 pounds and wearing a gray and black hooded sweatshirt, dark colored pants, and black, blue and white Jordan Retro II shoes, size 10, that were taken in the robbery.
Anyone with information on either robbery is asked to call the Akron Police Department’s Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490.